Hong Kong Goes Backwards: Bans CBD as a “Dangerous Drug”, Forcing Scores of Businesses to Shut Down Hong Kong’s new Beijing-orientated administration has classified CBD in the same category as heroin and cocaine and has introduced harsh penalties for dealing and possession. Associated Press 23/02/01, 11:00 Associated Press reports that Hong Kong banned CBD as a "dangerous drug" and imposed harsh penalties for its possession on Wednesday, 1 February 2023, forcing fledging businesses to shut down or revamp. Supporters say CBD, or cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, can help relieve stress and inflammation without getting its users high, unlike its more famous cousin THC, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana which has long been illegal in Hong Kong. CBD was once legal in the city, and cafes and shops selling CBD-infused products were popular among young people. But all that has changed with the prohibition, which took effect Wednesday but had been announced by the government last year. CBD-related businesses have closed down while others have struggled to remodel their businesses. Consumers dumped what they saw as a cure for their ailments into special collection boxes set up around the city. The new rule reflects a zero-tolerance policy toward dangerous drugs in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese business hub, as well as in mainland China, where CBD was banned in 2022. The city maintains several categories of "dangerous drugs," which include "hard drugs" such as heroin and cocaine. In explaining the policy change, the Hong Kong government cited the difficulty of isolating pure CBD from cannabis, the possibility of contamination with THC during the production process and the relative ease by which CBD can be converted to THC. Customs authorities vowed last week to do more to educate residents to help them understand that CBD is prohibited in Hong Kong even though it is legal elsewhere. Starting on 1 February 2023, possession of CBD can result in up to seven years in jail and a 1 million Hong Kong dollar ($128,000) fine. Those convicted of importing, exporting or producing the substance can face up to life in prison and a 5 million Hong Kong dollar ($638,000) fine. Some users said the ban shows the international financial hub is going backward. "It´s just looking less like an international city," said Jennifer Lo, the owner of CBD Bakery, who started selling CBD-infused cheesecakes, cookies and drinks in 2021. Her business largely dried up even before the ban took effect, she said. "Rumors of the ban affected how I do business," she said. "Some platforms just took me offline without telling me. And then it was not as easy to get space at markets." To comply with the ban, Lo dumped all her remaining stock, including dozens of cookies, and said she would have to rebrand her business. Some other vendors, including the city's first CBD cafe that opened in 2020, shut down. Karena Tsoi, who used CBD skincare products for two years to treat her eczema, said she will have to find an alternative treatment. "It's troublesome," she said. "The government doesn't have to regulate like this." Most Asian nations have strict drug laws with harsh penalties with the exception of Thailand, which made marijuana legal to cultivate and possess last year. Elsewhere, the debate over CBD continues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said last week that there is not enough evidence about CBD to confirm that it´s safe for consumption in foods or as a dietary supplement. It called on Congress to create new rules for the growing market. Marijuana-derived products have become increasingly popular in lotions, tinctures and foods, while their legal status has been murky in the U.S., where several states have legalized or decriminalized substances that remain illegal federally. AP INTERNATIONAL BREAKING NEWS PREVIOUS NEXT Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS SAPS Bust Magic Mushroom Farm Near Union Buildings Scores of people were arrested in and around Pretoria on Thursday, 14 December 2023 as Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela led police in the Operation Shanela anti-drugs crime blitz, supported by different law enforcement departments Jonisayi Maromo, IOL News 20 December 2023 at 08:30:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Caribbean Forges Ahead in Cannabis Reform as St Kitts and Nevis Designate "Public" Spaces for Consumption While South African legislators grapple with the problem of how to make cannabis only available for "private" consumption, the Caribbean Islands of St Kitts and Nevis have pulled in the opposite direction: passing a law that specifies certain places be designated for "public" consumption. Bruno Braga 26 June 2023 at 11:00:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Medicines Act Amended to Pass Control of Non-Medical Cannabis to Agriculture Dept The Medicines Act has been amended, allowing control over non-medical cannabis to be passed on to the Agriculture Department. This means that future decisions, such as acceptable THC levels for various cannabis products, will ultimately be decided on by Agriculture, and not by the Health Department. Cannabiz Africa 25 September 2024 at 15:00:00 Amendments to Schedule 6 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 were gazetted and came into force on 6 September 2024. Amongst other provisions, they allow for “the cultivation, possession and use of raw or processed cannabis plant material” in specific circumstances, thereby loosening SAHPRA’s long-standing control over cannabis. Read the Amendment to the Medicines Act here. Ultimately the Government seeks to redefine cannabis as an agricultural crop rather than a narcotic and that all decisions pertaining to cannabis for non-medical use will be transferred from the Health Department. The intention of the amendment, according to SAHPRA’s presentation to Parliament earlier this year was: “to add reference to tetrahydrocannabinol in Schedule 6 except in raw cannabis plant material cultivated and possessed in accordance with a permit issued in terms of the Plant Improvement Act of 2018 and processed products manufactured from such material, intended for agricultural or industrial purposes including the manufacture of consumer items or products which have no pharmacological action or medicinal purpose; or when raw cannabis plant material is cultivated, possessed, and consumed by an adult, in private for personal consumption.” The amendments are meant to have coincided with the removal of cannabis from the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1994, but this has not yet been gazetted. The step is an important one because it is ultimately the Presidency’s considering a plan to classify all cannabis as “industrial”, thereby bypassing the THCs restrictions on hemp, and allowing a “whole plant” approach to cannabis reform. # Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Going Going Ghana: Lawmakers Embrace The Potential of Cannabis Lawmakers in Ghana’s Parliament voted last month to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, putting a 0,3% THC cap for growers. Graham Abbot 5 January 2024 at 08:30:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Warning to Prospective Cannabis Farmers: Don’t Underestimate the Demands and Complexities of this Game Growing medical cannabis calls for extreme attention to detail and precision, as well as compliance with intricate legislative requirements and official demands. It also calls for perseverance. That’s the message from Free State grain farmer-turned cannabis cultivator, Coenie Venter. Annalie Colman, Farmers Weekly 12 August 2024 at 13:00:00 Free State cannabis farmer Coenie Venter has urged new entrants in the market to do their research thoroughly, engage with local producers and listen to what the experts say. The owner of Ilco Farming is open about his own mistakes since acquiring a SAHPRA license in 2021. He told Annelie Colman of Farmers Weekly in a recent interview: “The biggest mistake we made was underestimating the demands and complexities of medical cannabis production and believing it was going to be easier than it is.” Venter and his wife Ilse, were traditionally grain producers, farming on the road between Viljoenskroon and Kroonstad in north-west Free State. He said this is a “high-risk maize, soya beans and sunflower production area” prone to extreme droughts. He said the droughts that occurred between 2006 and 2016 “forced us to pursue alternative sources of income to supplement dryland grain production”. READ Thomas Walker's s olutions to common cannabis cultivation challenges “We considered a host of alternatives, such as pecan nuts and blueberries. However, as medical marijuana had gone mainstream globally, we decided to embark on the production thereof. Our research showed there is growing long-term demand and potential for cannabis. “It is a new industry with huge challenges, from cultivation to processing to marketing and export. We made wrong decisions every step of the way, from using the wrong cultivation spaces, wrong cooling systems for cultivation and processing, and wrong genetics. “Fact of the matter is that we paid expensive school fees and it was a very steep learning curve. I want to caution prospective new entrants into this industry to do as much research as possible, engage existing producers and make use of experts in the field.” However, when asked whether they would embark on cannabis production, knowing what they know now, he replied: “Yes! We love the industry. Medical cannabis has massive potential worldwide. We had lots of doors closed in our faces along the way, but also met and worked with great people that helped us to go forward. However, we would probably do it very different than we did it the first time.” He said it would have been a bonus to have the team they have in place now from the onset. “It took some time to get the right people to take the business forward.” The current management team is Tyler Muller (head of cultivation), Danielle van der Burg (quality control and processing specialist), and Berné van Coller (resident pharmacist). “Teamwork makes the dream work,” says Venter. Another major issue was getting offtake agreements. Ilco Farming targeted international markets from the onset because of the “near saturation of the local market”. He said it took nearly two years before they secured their first international client. Ilco is currently exporting cannabis to Australia. Venter says seeds have been sourced from Israeli company, Leapfrogg Genetics that are suitable for local climatic conditions., The rest of this article is background information reproduced from Farmers Weekly :published on 29 July 2024. New production plant The first brick of the high-tech Ilco medical cannabis production plant was laid in January 2021 and the plant was officially licensed in November 2021. Medical cannabis contains a number of cannabinoids compounds such as THC and CBD; THC is a psychoactive compound and is a Schedule 6 narcotic regulated by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). The Venters’ focus is on the production of high-level TCH cannabis cultivars and their business, Ilco Farming, therefore needed to be licensed by SAPHRA. Ilco Farming supplies cannabis flower that is used for inhalation (smoking) with high THC and a high terpene profile, so quality is all important. The bud must be dense and the trichome crystals should be visible to the eye. The smell, depending on the strain, can be from fruity to cheesy or grassy. Ensuring top quality and safeguarding the integrity of their product are paramount for the couple as their products have an impact on their clients’ quality of life. Controlling the environment in which the plants are grown, dried and processed plays a pivotal role in averting issues such as mould and pathogens. Additionally, they employ natural pest management methods to safeguard against insect infestations, preserving yields and maintaining the best product standards. Complying with regulations The current regulatory framework in the country, supervised by SAHPRA, permits the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and distribution of medical cannabis. This entails significant capital outlay and observance of strict quality control standards. Ilse says: “The application for official recognition and permission was quite an intricate affair. We had to apply for a Section 22C licence at SAHPRA in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act, No. 101 of 1965. The issuing of the licence was preceded by an audit after construction and completion of the facilities. READ Thomas Walker's e merging trends in cannabis genetics and strain development “Our audit was successful, and a Section 22C licence that allows for the cultivation and selling of medical cannabis to other licensed entities was duly issued. Having an offtake agreement was also a prerequisite in order to obtain the licence.” Compliance with the official Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) was also required by the state as well as compliance with the official Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). GACP and GMP each has its unique set of rules and standard operating procedures to ensure the consistent production of high-quality cannabis. The management of the plant is required to submit regular reports as required by SAPHRA, coupled with physical inspections by SAPHRA representatives. The Venters’ hothouses and warehouses are GAP-approved. GMP, or Good Manufacturing Practice, is a set of rules and procedures related to the quality assurance, management, and packaging processes of manufacturing facilities and their products. GACP requirements more specifically outline guidelines for cultivation practices. One possible way for Ilco Farming to expand its market was to export to the EU. However, that would involve securing an EU Good Manufacturing Practices licence, which comes at a cost of nearly R2 million. Germany and Australia were the only two legal export destinations provided for under the business’s SAHPRA licence. Diversification The Venters have the option of product diversification, including cannabis oil production or marketing products in small quantities, such as prerolled joints for the medical cannabis smoking market. Given the problem of local market saturation, focusing on more value-added products could open up new revenue streams for the business. While product diversification would require investment in research and development, it could afford an opportunity to access untapped niche markets. The Venters also have the option of selling the unused parts of their cannabis plants to other registered cannabis farms specialising in the production of cannabis oil, creams, lotions and ointments. Instead of diversifying on their own, the Venters recently entered into a collaboration agreement with two leading South African cannabis producers, which gives them an opportunity to access the international market by exporting cannabis to their partners’ overseas clients. Israeli Partnership Ilco Farming also entered into a partnership with Israeli company Leapfrogg Genetics, which will supply them with cannabis genetics suitable for the South African climate. To that effect, Leapfrogg Genetics, funded by a kibbutz in Israel, is investing in Ilco Farming and is building a system at the Ilco Farming premises focused on the development of top genetics. Although it was an uphill battle for Ilco Farming to find its feet in the cannabis production industry, Coenie and Ilse Venter remain very passionate about their enterprise. Their advice to prospective new entrants in the medical cannabis industry is to do thorough research and gain as much information as possible before embarking on production. They say medical cannabis in South Africa has massive potential, but the most important advice for newcomers is to not start building infrastructure before a reliable market is established. Email Ilco Farming at info@ilcofarming.co.za . # Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS THC Granted Leave to Appeal, Grow Model Case Now On Its Way To Supreme Court Judge Hayley Slingers says another court may find she erred in ruling that the Private Cannabis Club model was against the law. Brett Hilton-Barber 5 November 2022 at 04:00:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Zimbabwe’s Hemp Fortunes Hinge on Diversification into Fibre and Foods As Zimbabwe continues to shape rules and laws for the hemp industry, the country needs to simultaneously build out infrastructure and expand research while spreading risk by moving beyond CBD into the production of food and fibre products. Hemp Today 6 April 2023 at 11:00:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

It Just Gets Jucier! Now Facebook Owner Mark Zuckerberg Dragged into JuicyFields Legal Wrangling as Swedish Court Rules He Can Be Sued Swedish lawyers are gunning for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, saying his Meta Platform data centre in Sweden was the “scene of the crime” in the JuicyFields scam in which thousands of investors were fleeced of over 2,5 billion Euros in one of Europe’s biggest scams ever. Cannabiz Africa & Hemp Today 22/12/11, 10:00 Hemp Today reports that a lawsuit against Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg for alleged complicity in the Juicy Fields cannabis investment scam may proceed, a court in Sweden ruled on 5 December 2022. Swedish attorney Lars Olofsson was granted the right to move ahead with the case by a court in Luleå, Sweden, where Meta Platforms Inc.’s first data center outside of the United States was established in 2011. The lawsuit is the first of several planned by Olofsson against regulators, media and attorneys he alleges facilitated a scam against investors, 800 of whom he is representing in class action litigation. ‘Massive win’ Olofsson said the quick decision by the court, handed down within 36 hours of the filing, is a “massive win” that will “send a message to the others we have in our legal path that we are proceeding ahead, full steam, with other cases in the meantime.” The lawsuit arises out of a growing scandal in Europe over JuicyFields, a fintech company that offered “per plant” shares of cannabis crops. JuicyFields went public in April 2020, and imploded about six weeks after the German regulatory authority BaFin banned the selling of its shares to German investors this past June. Scene of the crime Meta servers in Luleå, located in the far north of Sweden just within the Arctic circle, “cover about a billion Facebook and Instagram users, which includes most of my clients,” Olofsson said. “The argument is that this is the place where the crime was committed. It is via these servers that my clients have been exposed to JuicyFields’ fraud.” In his application to the Swedish court, Olofsson wrote: “That META with its operative manager does not after several months of major publication that Juicy Fields has been an investment fraud cannot have escaped them, and on their own platforms their customers and users have extensive communication around the fraud and their personal situation – and despite this, it still allows Juicy Fields and individuals to do continued marketing for something that others on the platforms tell us is a fraud.  This is also a basis for the motion for the court to rule for failure. Evidence of all accounts on Facebook and Instagram belonging to Juicy Fields as of November 24th of The, 2022, is attached to the notification”. He said “By allowing a criminal activity to be able to carry out sales and marketing efforts to a large extent and that after it became publicly known that Juicy Fields was a large-scale investment fraud, the company continued to be able to expose itself and a large number of people continued marketing, META and its operative responsible have partly been accomplices to serious fraud and partly failed to report or prevent the crime both during the time Juicy Fields was active  and even after Juicy Fields shut down its internet platform. Facebook “allowed individuals to spread disinformation” “To this should be added that both Facebook and Instagram allowed individuals to spread disinformation that Juicy Fields was not an investment fraud and most likely it is the individuals behind the scam who continue to deceive and spread incorrect information in order to hide their criminal act. The evidence reports the regulations for Corporate Governance”. Olofsson said he has identified as many as 170 individuals, banks, companies and lawyers with connections to the massive cannabis fraud, which he claims bilked investors out of nearly $2.5 billion in the expanding international scandal based in Europe. Ponzi scheme Observers say JuicyFields is a classic Ponzi scheme in which operators pay out high dividends to early investors with funds from those who invest later. The suit against Zuckerberg, technically a private criminal prosecution, charges him, as Meta’s CEO, with being grossly negligent in failing to control who has used the company’s platforms. The suit also charges that his negligent behavior included the company violating its own terms of service – a crime under Sweden’s penal codes on fraud. Violation of such statutes carries a mandatory jail sentence of two to six years. Olofsson said subsequent lawsuits will be filed both in Sweden and internationally. INTERNATIONAL BREAKING NEWS PREVIOUS NEXT Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Cilo Cybin Holdings Hopes to Raise at Least R500 m Through JSE Listing Founder Gabriel Theron says cash raised through the IPO will be used to purchase and upgrade Cilo Cybin Pharmaceuticals’ Centurion cannabis facility and to invest in health and wellness solutions that boost longevity and the quality of life. Cannabiz Africa/Denene Erasmus Business Day 27 September 2022 at 12:00:00 Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

SOUTH AFRICAN CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Brought to you by: Police Bust R2m Illegal Cannabis Grow Op in Linden, Johannesburg; One Man Arrested Home African News South African News International News All News Marketplace Business News More Brett Hilton-Barber 22/06/28, 14:00 A look at some of items police found inside Gregory Isaac’s garage; Cannabis Grow Op in Linden, Johannesburg- BUSTED PREVIOUS NEXT comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!

CANNABIS INDUSTRY BREAKING NEWS Small Turnout of Protesters Mark Global Cannabis Day with Mixed Messages Over Support of Cannabis Bill Over 100 cannabis activists took to the streets of Johannesburg on Saturday to participate in the Global Cannabis March, an annual rally held around the world on the first Saturday in May. Similar rallies were held in Durban and Cape Town. Ihsaan Haffejee for Ground Up 7 May 2024 at 06:00:00 This report from Ground Up published on 6 May2024. Protesters gathered at Pieter Roos Park in central Johannesburg, where police stood ready to accompany the marchers along the route. “The police will escort us as we smoke weed in the streets openly. We’ve come a long way,” said Nkosana Doncabe, a young protester. He was sharing a joint with his friend. Protesters were however divided on whether or not to support the new Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which is awaiting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature into law. “In South Africa we have witnessed a remarkable journey towards cannabis liberation,” said Candice Nel, one of the protest conveners. “However, the proposed cannabis bill threatens to undermine this progress.” She said the bill still criminalises certain cannabis activities and therefore perpetuates a harmful legacy of prohibition. She also said the bill “favours big corporations over small scale growers and entrepreneurs, legacy farmers and traditional healers”. “We reject this bill that prioritises profits over people’s health and well-being,” said Nel. But others at the march had come out in support of the bill. They chanted, “Cyril sign the bill!” Longtime cannabis activist Myrtle Clarke was at the protest. In a statement she recently released, she said: “Fields of Green for All supports the signing into law of the imperfect Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill because this means that cannabis will be taken out of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992, with all sorts of happy knock-on consequences.” “This significant step is a gain for us all, and will create an enabling environment in which we can move forward with regulations, plus actions that further advance our human rights. We would rather bring court challenges to tweak the bits and pieces than to continue to fight for years for the big, broad stuff already being offered to us,” Clarke said. # Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA Read SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer" Intent on Looting the Nation Read Finally, the Multi-Million Euro JuicyFields Cannabis Scam Starts Finding its Way to Court Read NEXT PREVIOUS Cannabiz Africa Newsline The Business Of Cannabis Coming Fresh every Week. Stay ahead in the cannabis industry! Subscribe to CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE for weekly insights on the business of cannabis. Fresh updates every week! Enter Your Email Join Thanks for subscribing!